The City of Split, Croatia, was an excellent choice for a show in the region. The April weather is wonderful, the sights are breathtaking, the people are hospitable and the accommodations and expenses are very reasonable. Split is located on the Dalmatian Coast of the Adriatic Sea, and the Croatian heritage is influenced heavily by millennia of interaction with Italy, just across the Sea. Split is also centrally located to many of the regional military groups, making it readily accessible and providing a good flow of attendees….

Chinese submachine gun technology has come a long way in the past 50 years. From the days of chop-shop PPSh-41 variants through the copies of Thompson submachine guns and M3 Greaseguns, a very efficient and high-technology infrastructure has evolved. Westerners may not be quick to understand the devotion the Chinese have to developing the manufacturing base in their defense industry….

Bumar is now a household name in Poland and one in circulation for over 55 years. But it was only in the last 10 years that it became a high-roller in Poland’s defense industry as a core company around which a concern of Bumar Group was built. It all started in 1953 when Bumar Construction Machinery Industrial Union was organized in Warsaw as a state holding company governing construction machinery, manufacturing and trade. Of course, as was a matter of custom….

SADJ has brought a number of articles on the RPG-7 and its technology and history to our readers. We’ve covered light armorer work, as well as operational idiosyncrasies, and we’ve dispelled myths perpetuated by a generation of writers and Internet gurus who insist on saying “RPG” means “Rocket Propelled Grenade” no matter how many times it’s explained that this is a recoilless launcher system…

LAAD Brazil has grown in leaps and bounds over the last decade and today it is a formidable contender as a top Latin American military trade show. We find it second only in size to the FIDAE show in Chile but that’s not a fair comparison, as FIDAE has a massive airshow attached. Attendees and the 600+ exhibitors alike were pleased with the large turnout (24,000 people and delegations from 53 countries) that….

The new Gemtech Quicksand sound suppressor, now available for purchase, is used on 7.62 NATO rifles and utilizes a patented quick mount system. It can be fastened securely in only two seconds and at only 17.5 ounces in weight it is the lightest quick-detach .308 suppressor available….

The Japanese had a unique system of naming and numbering their weapons using two basic methods. One method referred to the Type number, which represented the last two digits of the Japanese Jimmu Year. For the Type 92 machine gun, this represented the year 2592 (or 1932 on the Gregorian calendar). This is noted in three Japanese kanji characters arranged in a vertical column on top of the gun’s receiver…

The International Defense Technology Exhibition and Prevention of Natural Disasters, SITDEF PERÚ had its beginnings in 2007. It was conceived as a commercial and cultural gathering promoted and organized by the Ministry of Defense and the Peruvian Armed Forces. The fair takes places every two years, and SADJ had the opportunity to attend the third edition at the General Army Headquarters in Lima. The exhibition gathers national and international companies displaying state-of-the-art technology in the defense area, representing Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Colombia, Ecuador…

Combat experience in Afghanistan has prompted some rapid changes in the small arms carried by ISAF foot soldiers; and most especially by the U.S. Army, USMC and the British Army and Royal Marines. The purpose of this article is to outline these changes, determine the lessons learned, and look ahead to examine the extent to which the growing variety of rifles including DMRs (Designated Marksman Rifles), carbines, IARs (Infantry Automatic Rifles) and LMGs (light machine guns) might be replaced in the future by a smaller number of weapons without losing any capability.

The reintroduction of the AR-10/SR-25 in the early 1990s re-revolutionized the use of semiautomatic rifles as sniper/tactical rifles. The direct gas system combined with the eight-lug rotating bolt and a free floating barrel made this system sub-MOA with little difficulty or maintenance. Although the AR-10 was discarded nearly 50 years ago by a biased and self serving….

The Marine looked sharp. He was dressed in the new MARPAT green camouflage pattern, cut to the US M1967 jungle style and matched to a cover of the same material; he wore the Special Forces harness and carried the M4A4 Carbine. The same standard was observed in the hands of elements of the DM4 from Comandos de Morazán and other troops. This was definitely a leap forward from the rag-tag look observed only a few months before….

Urban warfare, snipers and insurgents are hiding in buildings and they will try to do devastating attacks on soldiers and the insurgents are protected by the building they are firing from. When the soldiers are approaching the buildings, it is a good chance that some of them will be killed. What they need is a weapon that can level the playing field – the shoulder mounted assault weapon. As western armies are seeking lighter equipment for their dismounted infantry….

Former Bushmaster plant back in production Earlier this year, the Freedom Group, current owner of Bushmaster Firearms, moved operations from Maine to streamline operations. It…

Distributed at trade shows worldwide, Small Arms Defense Journal is a bimonthly publication that focuses on small arms, accessories, gear for the soldier, new products, industry news, and defense trade shows. The first issue of SADJ was Spring 2009, which launched at the LAAD show in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. SADJ (pronounced “sage”) is targeted toward military, law enforcement, and defense industry professionals. Our job is to reach these groups and tailor content to their interests while producing a publication that is applicable to an international audience.